Sluggish and Congested

I like a good legal or conspiracy thriller as much as the next person. I enjoy reading John Grisham, Tom Clancy and James Patterson’s books. Critical Reaction by Todd M. Johnson sounded like an entertaining read but I had a difficult time getting into the story until about three quarters of the way through.

Ryan Hart has all but given up on practicing law since his wife’s death despite a very successful career as trial lawyer when his daughter, Emily, asks him for help on a case he believes is a lost cause. Having been estranged from his daughter, he reluctantly agrees to travel to a small Washington state town and meet with their potential client. Kieran Mullaney was present at an October explosion at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. He believes there was more to the story of the explosion than the company is telling. What really happened that night in the building known as LB5 and will Ryan, Emily and Kieran find the truth before it’s too late?

The thing that made this book difficult for me to read was the many perspectives from which the story was being told. It seemed like a juggling act trying to keep straight whose point of view each chapter was coming from. About halfway through the book everyone started coming together a little more. The first half of the book was also slow as the lawyers prepared for trial. Things really didn’t start moving until after the trial had started. I think there was supposed to be a little bit of a romance between Kieran and Emily but it was downplayed throughout. The book did redeem itself near the end as things started falling into place and a little more action was added but not a book I would recommend.

I would give the book two out of five stars.

***Bethany House Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was not compensated in any way for either a positive or a negative review.